how to make a long scarf [tutorial]

I made this scarf the other day. It’s really long, a little less than 80 inches, and can be wrapped all sorts of ways.

I fell in love with the fabric. I picked it up when fleece was on sale.

How to make the scarf:

1. Cut out four even pieces. Since I wanted a long scarf, I folded the fabric in half lengthwise. My pieces were 8 inches wide, but you can make your scarf thinner or wider. Mark the width with chalk and cut. Make sure you use a cutting board or another device to make sure your fabric slices are even.

The dimensions of each piece is 44″ x 8″. I will be combining two pieces in the middle, which makes the total length around 80 inches (with cutting and trimming, etc.).

Four identical pieces.

2. Create a middle seam. Since I have a colored fabric pattern with lines, I had to take extra care to make sure the fabric pieces lined up to create a symmetrical scarf. If you’re a beginner, it might just be easier to not deal with lining up the pattern. Go for a solid color fabric.

Take the time now to decide what will be the inside of your scarf and which side will be the outside of your scarf. Here are my four pieces lined up.

Using two pieces of scarf, match the middle colors together. In this case, my middle was going to be navy.

With right sides together, sew the middle seam of each side of the scarf – two pieces for each side. Then trim the excess. Now you should have two long pieces.

3. Sew the scarf.

From here it gets pretty simple. Line up the two sides of the scarf so that the fabric matches – right sides together. Again, if your fabric doesn’t have a pattern, then put your two sides together and don’t worry about having to line anything up.

Pin your scarf with right sides together. Starting at the top of the scarf, stitch down (at 5/8ths an inch) until you reach about 5/8ths an inch from the end, then turn the scarf, and stitch across. Once you reach about 5/8ths from the other side, turn the scarf again, and start stitching back toward the top.

This is a picture of the left side already stitched. Now I’m stitching back up the right side.

4. Stop once you get to the top, do not stitch across. You want to leave an open mouth on the scarf. Once you reach the top, do a few back stitches to reinforce your seam. Trim off the excess string.

5. Trim the seams, cutting off the excess fabric.

6. Using the open edge of your scarf, reach your arm in there and turn the scarf inside out.

7. Creating the top of the scarf: With the scarf now turned right side out, you’re going to want to finish the top. Turn some of the top fabric inward and press the seam. Pin it closed.

Now sew it closed, starting with a few back stitches to reinforce the close. Here I stitch very close to the top of the scarf. I place my presser foot at the top of the scarf. This ensures that you’ll sew through the folded top of the scarf.

8. Press the entire scarf flat.

There you have it.

A super cozy fleece scarf.

Side note: Tutorials are tough. I’m still getting the hang of them. I welcome constructive criticism and questions about this tutorial. Thanks!

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welcome

Hi there! My name is Heidi. I live in Brooklyn, NY. I’m a hobbyist, adventurer, and struggling epicurean. I created this space to share beautiful things, tasty treats, easy crafts and any adventures I encounter along the way. I hope you’ll follow along. MORE